Crooked Feet
by Twilight's Shadow
Summary: Sometimes, life sucks. Xigbar just has to remember to laugh for the rest of it. AU. Multiple Pairings. Please R&R!
1. Prologue: Cliches and Feet

**What's that? I'm not dead? No...must have not put in the right poison. Haha...kidding. **

**Well, here I am, with crazed plot and the need to write it. I've had other plots in my head, but this one would not leave me be, so I had to write it down. Of course I got obsessed with it and now I am determined to finish it (and hopefully, I can this time). I don't know what's really going to happen throughout this entire ride, but I hope it will be for the best for this story...yeah...But there are two warnings I want to leave you all:**

**One, there will be some mature scenes. I don't mean only 'sexual' mature, in which many a perverted minor would disregard this warning anyway (says this cause she herself is one): There will be violence and some gore. In fact, the next chapter will have a bit of gore in it, and it involves kids. I'm not overconfident in my ability to detail such scenes, but I know some readers do not care for such things, so I'm letting you know, now.**

**Two, there will be multiple pairings. And I won't tell you the pairs: I'll let you all figure it out!**

**I really hope everyone enjoys this one: I have a really good feeling on how this one will go. **

**So, without further adieu...Enjoy the fic! Have fun!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. Sad.**

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When Xigbar was only18 years old, sitting languidly in a musty, small, creative writing prep class in the hot July sun on a Monday, he was taught firmly two very important things during his class period that he could still remember clearly to this day.

One, don't let your sentences run. No one wants to hear 'and' or 'like' to describe a story or to give directions.

And two, avoid clichés like a plague.

The rest well…the rest he couldn't remember because…the rest he had slept through. Or doodled through. Or did whatever distracting thing he could to get through four tedious hours of how many ways you could say a girl and her dog walked to the park, all more arrogantly-prickish than the next.

So when Xigbar managed to pass the class with a manageable C, he ran out into the campus and _stretched _away the 7 weeks of adjective and adverbs and clauses and, at that moment, promised himself something. Something he had only wrote down less than an hour ago on the left-hand corner of his final paper (So he wouldn't forget) and quickly transferred to his hand before giving his test to his teacher, then shooting out of the class as if his too-small-a-desk was on fire. And when he looked at his hand again, with the ink slightly faded due to his continuously sweaty hands and his almost illegible writing, he grinned like a madding fool. Because on his hand, Xigbar had scribble one sentence. And it wasn't a run-on either.

"My life will never be a cliché."

Hard promise to keep, considering no one knew what would happen in the next moment of their life: you might get hit by a random, falling tree. Or bump into someone who could become your "one true love". Or win a large sum of muney. Or nothing could happen at all. And when Xigbar realized this, he decided to specify his promise a little more, so not to break it entirely.

Instead, he decided he would try to do everything out of the ordinary he could. But when his motto had him nearly homeless and working for a eight-year-old girl, tossing and keeping a gigantic beach ball in the air a certain number of times, he knew he would have to change the aphorism again.

It took him until age twenty-six to finally get the saying to a point where he was able to live both reasonably and spontaneously. And by this time, Xigbar had seen enough, done enough, and _was _enough to actually follow this advice to the T. So when it flew out of his mouth so perfectly, so weirdly and so right, Xigbar could only break out into his trademark grin in his wake.

"Always one crooked foot forward."


	2. Chapter 1: Backwards

**Warning! This chapter does contain gore involving children! It that bothers you, then I apologize and suggest you skip this chapter. **

**I forgot to mention the type of characterization in this story ol' mine. All the characters in this story are KH and FF characters featured in KH (with the exception of several future ones). I wanted to see if I could get everyone in one story without me forgetting anyone. So let's see how well I can do that...If I miss anyone, please tell me! I want _everyone _to be in this. Yes, even Rai. Lol.**

**Disclaimer: Not even.**

**Enjoy! (bows)**

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Xigbar's home, Block 34th on Celest Street, wasn't a particularly interesting place.

And it wasn't a very notable day either. It had been sunny then, as it had been all week. The twisted branches of the trees swayed lazily in the wind, and the vibrant colors of most of the houses on the block reflected blinded at onlookers. The gardens of the old ladies and mothers looked almost like a pretty picture in a pretty storybook. And all of Twilight Town had adapted the pretense of peaceful familiarity.

Kids ran back and forth on cobblestone streets while older couples floated through the large town, talking about nothing. Youthful fishermen were crowded around a hotdog stand at the beach while young girls were giggling in their direction. Stores doors were left open in a inviting nature as families wandered in a out of them casually. Everything in Twilight Town was serene, tranquil, and...almost perfect. Nevertheless, this scenery did nothing (and was certainly not at all important enough to consider a tangible 'memory') to the quick-witted, nine-year-old Luxord. The small blond boy passed by people and places without even a second glance; instead, he wandered through Twilight Town's alleyways and small shopping districts, searching for his best friend.

"Where is he?" The tiny trickster wondered aloud when his wandering led him to the sandlot, where a large group of kids were huddled together, laughing and talking excitedly to one another. In the middle of the crowd was a boy, somewhat older that Luxord, with a silver mane, a pompous smile, and a blue foam bat in one hand. He lifted and swung the bat animatedly, causing the crowd to cry with delight. It was a new game that was quickly becoming popular in Twilight Town, but Luxord did not have a clue what it was, nor did he care: he had his dice, his lucky deck, and his smarts, and according to him, that was all he needed.

…What was the game even called again? Stomp? Stampede? Struggle?

Well, it didn't matter either way: Luxord still couldn't have care less.

"Oh Setzer!" Luxord heard the girls swoon from the crowd, and saw the former toss his long mane back with unnecessary flashiness. Luxord, perched on a bench nearby, almost gagged. If the girls all over him was not gross enough (hadn't Seth ever heard of cooties?), the way he was acting all show-off to them made it ten times worse.

'If that's what it means to be thirteen,' the blond thought, folding his slightly chubby arms across his red, shirt-covered chest, a sour long on his face, 'then I don't wanna grow up!'

"Luxord?"

The bright, blue-eyed boy looked up to acknowledged the small voice that called his name—forgetting his momentary brooding mood—and suddenly grinned widely.

"Saïx!" Luxord cried, jumping up and startling the timid child who was hardly a year older than he. "Hey Saïx! What's up? Where've you been?"

Saïx, nervously, picked at his oversized sweater, stunning golden eyes stating at his sandaled feet.

"Asleep," Saïx answered, quietly, while the other boy had to lean in to hear him properly. "I was sick yesterday, and I didn't sleep well before."

Luxord nodded in appreciation (who doesn't like a good afternoon nap?) before grabbing the blunette's arm, dragging him to their secret hiding spot, concealed between a gaggle of old, unused apartment buildings. By the time they had arrived, Luxord had blabbed his entire morning to the other, who nodded earnestly, taking in the complete one-sided conversation.

"…And now I'm looking for Xigbar, 'cause we're going to the beach tomorrow and go fishing and stuff and I wanted him to spent the night…but you can come and spend the night too!" Luxord spun around to Saïx quickly, whose eyes widen considerably to the sudden request.

"Um…o-okay," Saïx replied, staring down once again at the ground, a slight blush on his pale cheeks. "I'll ask Mum."

"Yeah!" the blond trickster shouted, impossibly wide smile on his face. He was going to be with his best pals and go fishing? Nice.

"Now if only we could find Ziggy, but I haven't seen him all day…have you seen him?" The blond inquired, letting go of the other's hand. He bounced over to a partially torn beanbag and flopped down. Dust blew up out of nowhere at his sudden decent and flew around him, causing the child to cough lightly.

Saïx found a study crate and sat upon in a much more delicate fashion, displaying his polite nature. "No, not since last week…I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry! We can go look for him…He's probably hiding out somewhere…"

The two boys sat quietly for a moment, listening to the rumbling sounds of a distant train overhead. Their hideout was a little more than a dead end alleyway, no longer used for storage. Creates and old boxes were discarded here and there, and before the children got there, the place was completely dark, boring, and empty. Luxord stumbled across the hideout a year ago, when a game of hide and seek went awry. Soon afterwards, Luxord, Saïx, and Xigbar were hardly anywhere else as the place quickly became a pseudo-clubhouse for them, toys, games, and just stuff left there without a second thought. An old tarp was later found and place over the narrow, gated entrance, concealing the hideout from wondering eyes, and completing the clubhouse for the three, exuberant boys.

"…He could be at his house," Saïx supplied, shifting as the old, wooden crate creaked a little.

"True…" Luxord shrugged, spinning a discarded die in the air.

"Have you checked there?"

"Uh…well…it's the middle of the day! I thought he would be outside playing too!" Luxord huffed, blowing up his cheeks animatedly.

"Why don't go see if he's home?" Saïx asked quietly, once again picking his oversized sweater with a slight smile on his face.

"Oh, okay then!" Luxord yelled, jumping up and pumping the air with a fist. "Let's go get 'em!"

Saïx smiled and hopped off of the crate, hair bellowing behind him as he landed. "'Kay."

The two children ran out of the hideout, jumping around energetically as they ran through the large town. They scurried up hills and through alleyways, buildings and people rushing by in a blur. Laughter echoed of off brick walls as Luxord and Saïx passed them without a second thought. Xigbar's street quickly sprouted out of the distance, causing the two to run faster towards their destination.

"Race ya!" Luxord cried, sprinting ahead from the other. The two took off like rockets, shooting ahead of one another every so often. When the building was finally within reach, the two skirted to a halt, nearly stumbling over one another in the process.

"I…won…" Luxord gasped out, hands on his jean covered knees, worn from their constant usage. Saïx only nodded as he and Luxord tried to regained their spent breaths, looking up to stare at Xigbar apartment.

Much like all the buildings on this Celest Street, the three-storied flat was humorously tall and considerably old; its façade was slightly worn from years of rain and sunshine. Some of the windows were broken in, others dusty from negligence. The blue paint of the entire place was chipped and faded, while the randomly scattered wooden balconies of the second and third looked unstable and aged. Compared to Saïx's uptown, high priced district, Xigbar's back-alley of a neighborhood appeared to be something pitied by all who didn't live there. However, with frequent visits, the blue-haired child (and of course, Luxord) had come to love the run-down area more than his own neighborhood: The people were much more friendly, and the phrase "Children should be seen, not heard" didn't seem to exist, unlike his own home.

A baby could be heard crying from the upper levels of the home, and the two children stared up out of habit. A young teen, seventeen at the most, was sitting on the ledge of one of the lower second-leveled windows, dressed loosely in a thin, green tank and shorts. A sandaled foot was swinging from back and forward easily. The baby in her arms was nearly screaming as she calmly tried to soothe her, a soft song emitting from her plump lips.

"There, there Aerith. Calm down…"

"Aqua?"

The teen peered down at the two surprised before her soft face broke into a wide grin, showing one of her missing front fangs. Her sea blue mane bounce slightly as she shifted the baby in her arms.

"Luxord! Saïx! Hey!" Aqua cried, waving animatedly as her aquamarine eyes reflected beautifully in the bright sun. "What are the two of you doing here?"

Saïx smiled brightly at the young woman while Luxord shouted, "Do you know where Ziggy is? Is he here?"

The girl placed a manicured nail on her lips in a motion of thinking, lifting her eyes to the sky.

"Hmm," Aqua began as she began to rock to quieting baby, "I saw him this morning, helping Terra with some stuff earlier but...I don't think I saw him leave his place. Actually, I've only seen one or two people leave here today or come in: Cid and some guy that said he was meeting someone."

"He must still be here, then," Saïx concluded softly while Luxord nodded, beaming.

"Kay then, let's go get him!" the blond seven-year-old shouted. He turned back to Ven with a mirroring smile. "Thanks Aqua!"

The blue-haired teen laughed, swaying the now sleeping baby, waving the two off. "Just make sure to tell Xigbar he needs to stop by: Mom wants to give him some more jelly."

"Kay!" shouted the two boys, running up the cement porch steps into the apartment. The inside of the flat was not much different from it's outside. Looking up, the upward spiraling staircase was definitely of a dilapidated sense, and the worn wood had suffered at the hands of many a termite. The windows were more dingy on the inside, giving the entire place a low light, while the wallpaper was ripped and torn in several places around the frames of the doors.

Dark doors with rusted numbers littered each floor, placed strategically on the sides of the square shaped building. Six doors, two on each wall, were facing the two boys, as would twelve more on the two levels above them, all as tattered as the one before it. Some of rooms were vacant, leaving the doors wide open, while others were sealed tight. Soft voices floated from some of the doors, as well gentle music from one of the upper level.

"Um…I think he said he lives in…eleven or thirteen, I think," Luxord said sheepishly, clearly uncertain. Saïx simply shrugged, picking at his sweater again in a timid manner. The blunette had visited Xigbar only twice, and both times, Xigbar himself had dragged him to his home: he hardly paid attention to what door it was.

"I've been here before, but I always get confuse, y'know?" The younger, blue-eyed boy nodded to himself. He and Xigbar were practically inseparable, but it always seemed they were playing in Luxord's small, eastern-side home. The times he had actually been over Xigbar's, he suddenly realized, were almost always because they couldn't stay at Luxord's for…whatever reason it was at the time (and he could count all those times on his hands). It wasn't like he didn't want to be at his best friend's home, nor that Xigbar had something to hide. It was just…things had just worked out that way.

"Um…"

"Well…we could just knock."

The two boys, trying to decide which of the many decrepit doors belonged to their dear friend, stood impatiently with hands in pockets, innocently pondered aloud about what they should do now that their pseudo-adventure face an unavoidable obstacle.

"Wish he'd just come out and show us," the blond trickster suddenly muttered, kicking the imaginary dust at his feet. The shy blunette was only seconds from replying to his friend's comment when, abruptly, an ear-shattering shriek erupted through the entire flat.

Voices and music suddenly died as muffled questions of "Who's that?" and "What's going on?" resonated between the stuffy walls as the cry was loud and terribly frightening. But to the two boys, it was not only that: it was the most sickening, heart-wrenching scream that had ever graced their youthful ears. A scream so terrific, so horrible that, subconsciously, the children knew it would haunt them for very, very long time.

Nevertheless, it was not the sound that had the boys trembling uncontrollably. The voice, the voice that screamed was…

"Xig-" Saïx hadn't even finished gasping the name when Luxord shot off like a tiny rocket, his tiny nine-year-old legs carrying him up rickety stairs to the second level of the flat. Heads of smokers and old people and children poke out random doors, all trying to figure out who was the source of the noise. Luxord didn't even register their wondering stares as he darted down the left platform, eyes searching for Door 13. The blond child thought he heard Aqua's voice somewhere in the background, calling him, and Saïx's voice, telling him to stop, but none of that mattered, not then, when Xigbar might have been…!

Luxord had not even worn the occupants of Door 13 when he shoved it open; it already frail locks breaking apart too easily against his youthful strength. He ran inside the shabby apartment, shouting his best friend's name loudly in hopes the other boy would answer. Instead, a haggard looking, half dressed Cid walked out an adorning bedroom, scratching his blond hair absently as he stared at Luxord, then his broke door, then back at Luxord again.

"Oi! What dja do that for, kid?" Cid replied lazily, glaring at the child with sleep-ridden, deep blue eyes. "I was just taken my nap when—hey!"

Luxord did not even spare a second thought to the 20-year-old as he shot out of the doorway and around the platform to Door 11. Fear was etched on his mind and face as he ran, trying to ignore the possibilities that came with such a scream. He wanted to believe the sudden crying and screaming he was beginning to hear from the Door was his mind playing tricks on him, like the way he played tricks on so many others. When he got to the room, his hand shaking terribly while he reached for the knob, another piercing scream was heard. But to Luxord, the scream might as well been in his face, because the terrible sound was resonating right out of Door 11.

After that, Luxord felt that time had abruptly slowed down. He finally kicked down the door after a couple of attempts, and ran inside the dirty flat. The living area was in complete shambles—things turn over or shattered or torn—and the sobbing and screaming were incredibly loud. Both windows to the connected balcony were wide open, a gentle, soft breeze flying into the destroyed room. However, the one key fact that stood out brilliantly in the blond's trickster mind was the rich, sickening smell of blood.

Luxord tried to call his best friend's name, but the overcoming smell stopped him: he settled for running through the small apartment. His search took him all of minutes before he found the source of the weeping and shrieking: in the bathroom of the master bedroom. Luxord hesitated in front of the door and, for a split second, thought about running away. He thought about running out of the flat, leaving behind Ven and Saïx and even _Xigbar_ just so he wouldn't see what was behind that wooden door. But then the moment was gone, and Luxord grabbed the rusted handle resolutely and turned it, opening the door.

At the sight, Luxord nearly peed in his pants.

Blood was splashed everywhere. Almost nothing was left without red spatter markings all over it: the toilet, the walls, the sink, and plenty of other things as well. The room was also in complete disarray; things flung harshly both here and there. Luxord's innocent eyes went impossibly wide at the entire sight as he felt the bile curled up in throat at the overwhelming smell. He felt his slightly chubby legs freeze, unable to move from the horrific scene…until he heard a coughing sob from the bathtub on his left. The curtains were draw around the tub, blocking his view of a small, curled up body sitting within it. Luxord gulped, trying to keep the vomit in his stomach as he reach out for he curtains.

Time seemed to almost stop as he extended his shaking, slightly chubby arm to the hanging drape. When his nimbly fingers caught hold one of the curtains, Luxord gulped loudly once more; silently praying that what he was about to see wasn't real.

With a final breath, Luxord aggressively yanked back the covering drape.

This time, he could stop himself from vomiting on the already messy floor.

In the small bathtub, with his tiny knees drawn to his chest, sat eight-year-old Xigbar, sobbing and screaming pitifully in an undersized pool of blood. Snot and tears streaked down his face, dropping into the blood that barely covered his bare feet. The raven-haired child's pants were missing, as his oversized, stained t-shirt barely covered his lower half. At the sound of the curtain being drawn, the small boy, jumped and looked up, trembling until he saw his best friend's face, his mouth somewhat covered in bile.

"L-Lu-Lu-Lux-" Xigbar stuttered sickeningly with a broken smile, his voice bubbling with tears. Luxord thought he might blackout before anything else could happen, as his own voice couldn't utter a sound.

And maybe it was because the boy was in the shadows of the curtain that Luxord didn't noticed it instantly. But when Xigbar stood on quaking knees and reached out to the blond, Luxord saw it, as clear as day.

Xigbar's right eye had been cut and slashed and nearly carved out. A startling mess of blood, flopped over skin, and something that might have earlier been the younger boy's retina now replaced where a striking, honey-coated eye once was.

Luxord felt Xigbar grab onto him as he stepped out of the bathtub, nearly slipping in his dearest friend's vomit. He saw Xigbar bury his head into his chest, staining his already soiled shirt with blood, snot and tears. The blond trickster even felt himself place his arms around his wounded friend, holding him in place. However, after that final touch, Luxord's world went blank; everything else from that point on was numbly tuned out. The wide-eyed, grief-stricken look on his face did not drop once after entering the bathroom, and it stayed there even while he held Xigbar. Luxord barely registered the approach of other people, and he hardly heard Saïx's and Aqua's screams of terror, or Cid's roar of anger at the scene in front of them. He did not even pay attention to Saïx's crying his name or the sight of the large, metal wench Cid was holding tightly.

It wasn't until Xigbar was forcibly ripped from his arms (and more screams emitted from the slight of the now, nearly sightless eight-year-old) and Cid held him roughly by the shoulders, piercing blue eyes demanding harshly what had happen that did everything come flying back to nine-year-old Luxord at once.

And then, Luxord did the only thing his mind could grasp at that very moment.

He fainted.

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**See what I did here? Hehe, aren't I clever? (is bricked)**

**When I said I wanted everyone, I mean, everyone. Unfortunately, I have yet to go into depth of _Birth of Sleep_, so this is the only chapter Aqua will, most likely, be in. She, Ven, and Terra will probably mentioned later on, but I doubt they'll be back again. Sorry! Oh, and sorry for making her toothless: At the time, I thought it would be cute. :S**

**In the next chapter, the time stream will be explained a little better. I know everything was just thrown out at once, but I promise it will make sense soon.**

**Please review. Everything is welcomed! See Ya!**

**Twilight**

**Edit: Corrected some mistakes. Sorry 'bout that.**


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